The USC-Washington meeting on Oct. 3 just got a spotlight upgrade.
USC announced Sunday morning, Sept. 21, that NBC will televise the game from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. PT. It will be the third USC game NBC has carried in 2026, and the network is clearly leaning into the Trojans’ Big Ten run.
That starts one week earlier, when USC hosts Oregon on Sept. 26 in NBC’s “Big Ten Saturday” window. Then the cameras stay with the Trojans for another key conference test against Washington, a matchup that already carries plenty of weight in the Big Ten race and the College Football Playoff picture.
USC has opened the season with NBC before, too. The network aired the Week 0 win over San José State, a 42-26 game played in hot conditions at the Coliseum and watched by a thin crowd.
It also became a coming-out party for true freshman receiver Trent Mosley, who piled up 118 receiving yards in his college debut. Freshman edge rusher Luke Wafle also made his presence felt that day, flashing in the backfield and helping set the tone up front.
Now USC turns to a Washington team with a quarterback who can stress a defense in more than one way.
Jayden Maiava has been sharp for the Trojans, completing 75.7 percent of his passes through four games while throwing 12 touchdowns against one interception. He has done it while USC has dealt with early injuries at receiver, with Mosley out and Tanook Hines and Terrell Anderson also missing some early action.
Washington brings its own quarterback problem for opponents. Demond Williams has thrown for 890 yards and five touchdowns in 2026 after a 2025 season in which he finished 2-25 with 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also adds serious value as a runner, with 1,043 career rushing yards heading into the Oct. 3 game.
There is some coaching history in this one, too. Lincoln Riley and Jedd Fisch know each other from their Pac-12 days, and Riley still has not beaten Fisch. Riley and USC lost in triple overtime to Arizona in October 2023 when Fisch coached the Wildcats, then Fisch beat the Trojans again after taking over at Washington in a 26-21 win in Seattle.
USC will also be trying to end its recent slide in the series. Washington has won the last three meetings, including a 52-42 victory in the Trojans’ last home game against the Huskies at the Coliseum, when Kalen DeBoer was still leading UW. Even so, USC still holds the all-time edge in the rivalry at 51-32-4.
In Other News...
Washingtons 3-0 Start Comes With A Defensive Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Washington wrapped up its nonconference slate at 3-0 after a 48-16 win over Eastern Washington, but the first stretch of the season came with a familiar kind of concern on the defensive side. The Huskies have shown enough to head into Big Ten play unbeaten, yet the penalties have been hard to miss, and head coach Jedd Fisch along with linebacker Jacob Manu both pointed to discipline as a priority moving forward.
The latest game underscored the issue again, with eight penalties for 101 yards helping turn an otherwise comfortable result into a reminder that cleaner football is still needed. For a defense about to face a tougher league schedule, the margin for error will shrink quickly, and Washington cant afford to keep putting itself behind the sticks or giving opponents extra chances. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Still Has One Big Problem After Its Get-Right Win
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The concern, though, was hard to miss even in a comfortable victory. Washingtons defense piled up too many mistakes, getting flagged for seven of the teams eight penalties and spending too much time under a cloud of pass interference calls, ejections and other discipline issues. For a team trying to build momentum, the improved offense was encouraging, but the ongoing penalty problems left a much bigger question hanging over the result. [Read more 🡒]
Washingtons International Class Suddenly Has A Roster Problem
Washingtons international recruiting class, which looked like a potentially useful source of depth and skill, has already hit an early snag. Boris Tisma, one of the Huskies overseas commits, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA because of prior professional experience, and he has since signed with Spanish club CB Estudiantes. For a program trying to piece together its backcourt and wing depth, the loss is more than a footnote, especially with roster construction still very much in motion.
The opening created by Tismas exit is one reason Washington was able to add transfer point guard Tayshawn Comer, a move that gives the Huskies another ball-handler to work with. Even so, the broader picture around the class is still unsettled, because the eligibility status of Wini Braga and Tristan Devers remains unclear under NCAA rules tied to their different backgrounds. For a team hoping to get the most out of its international pipeline, the next few decisions could shape how useful that class actually ends up being. [Read more 🡒]